Arts: Finance

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what criteria the Endowment Fund Panel 2011 will apply when deciding on the organisations which are to receive endowments;
	(2)  who is to sit on the Endowment Fund advisory panel;
	(3)  whether Michael Portillo is to be remunerated for his work as chair of the Endowment Fund panel.

Jeremy Hunt: The criteria to be applied by the Endowment Fund panel will be published later in the year, together with other material relevant to the applications process. The right Hon. Michael Portillo will chair the advisory panel and not be remunerated for this work. Other members of the panel will be announced in September.

Football

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what recent assessment he has made of standards of governance in football.

Jeremy Hunt: I am on record as saying I believe there must be more independence and greater diversity in the football authorities' Boards than there is now; much clearer evidence of joint working between those authorities; and that any obstacles to supporter involvement in their clubs should be removed.
	The inquiry by the Culture, Media and Sport Committee is looking into the wide range of football governance issues. I look forward to their report after which I will set out the Government's view in our subsequent response.

Entry Clearances: English Language

Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many entry clearance applications were rejected as a result of the applicant having taken an English language test through a provider not approved by the her Department in the latest period for which figures are available.

Damian Green: A breakdown of the number of rejections based on non-approved test providers is not available. Only the total number of rejections is available. Between November 2010 and May 2011 there have been 113 ‘Refusals—English language Requirement Not Met’ events recorded on the Proviso case working system.
	These data are based on management information. It is provisional and subject to change.

Humber Bridge Board

Alan Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what provisions of primary and secondary legislation determine the composition of the Humber Bridge Board; what the procedures are to alter the composition of the board; and whether the board has the power to amend its own composition;
	(2)  what changes have been made to the composition of the Humber Bridge Board since 1981; and what instruments were used to bring about those changes.

Norman Baker: I have been informed by the Humber Bridge Board that section 6 of the Humber Bridge Act 1959 set out the original membership of the board being 21 members:
	12 to be appointed by the corporation (being the Lord Mayor and aldermen of the city of Hull)
	1 to be appointed by East Riding council
	1 to be appointed by Lindsey council
	1 to be appointed by the Scunthorpe corporation
	3 to be appointed by the Haltemprice urban district council
	3 be appointed by Barton-upon Humber urban district council.
	Section 6 of the 1959 Act was amended by the Local Government Changes for England (Miscellaneous Provision) Order 1996, (SI 1996/466) which states, at paragraph 3, that the board shall consist of 22 members to be appointed as follows:
	12 members to be appointed by the district council of Kingston upon Hull
	1 member to be appointed by the county council of Lincolnshire
	4 members to be appointed by the district council of the East Riding of Yorkshire
	5 members to be appointed by the district council of North Lincolnshire
	The Bridge Board does not have the power to amend its own composition; but under s 97 of the 1959 Act, the board may apply to the Secretary of State to make an order altering the composition.

House of Lords: Reform

Penny Mordaunt: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister for what reasons he considers that a referendum on reform of the House of Lords is not necessary; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Harper: At the last election, all three main political parties were committed to reform of the House of Lords and the Government believe that it should move forward on this issue.

Social Fund

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department takes to monitor and assess the extent to which money paid to claimants from the social fund is used for the purposes set out in their applications.

Steve Webb: The Social Fund consists of a regulated and a discretionary scheme. Funeral Payments, Sure Start Maternity Grants, Cold Weather Payments and Winter Fuel Payments are part of the regulatory Social Fund scheme. Community Care Grants, Crisis and Budgeting Loans are part of the discretionary Social Fund scheme.
	The Social Fund does not routinely monitor or assess the extent to which money paid to claimants is used for the purposes set out in their applications because the high volume of payments made for the scheme, especially in relation to cold weather and winter fuel payments, make the cost of monitoring and assessing what payments are spent on prohibitive.
	In relation to the Community Care Grant scheme, however, targeted pre-award visits based upon set risk criteria are made to confirm claimants needs prior to an award being made. In addition repeat applications will not be successful if they are made for the same need within 12 months of an earlier application.
	For Crisis and Budgeting Loans, applications will only be successful if the applicant is facing a disaster or an emergency and the health and safety of the applicant or their family is at risk; or they require money for a one off expense not covered by benefits. Any award made is fully recoverable.

State Retirement Pensions: Uprating

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for what reason pensioners who retire to live abroad in some countries have their pensions up-rated in line with inflation whereas those retiring to certain other countries do not; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Webb: The UK state pension is payable world-wide but is only up-rated abroad where there is a legal requirement or reciprocal agreement to do so. A well known court case challenging the UK's position was heard by the European Court of Human Rights' Grand Chamber in September 2009 and the Court's judgment of March 2010 was in the UK's favour. We continue to take our obligations under the terms of the European Convention on Human Rights seriously and are satisfied that we are complying. We therefore have no plans to make any changes to the current arrangements that allow for the exportability and up-rating of UK state pensions.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether all new applications for in work and out of work benefits will be treated as applications for universal credit from October 2013.

Chris Grayling: Our provisional timetable states that from October 2013 all new applications for out-of-work support will be treated as claims to universal credit. No new jobseeker's allowance, employment and support allowance, income support and housing benefit claims will be accepted. New claims for tax credits will continue to be accepted until April 2014. Detailed planning is still at an early stage, and the timetable and sequence for transition may change as a result.

Businesses

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will make an assessment for benchmarking purposes of the performance of UK firms in adopting (a) business best practice and (b) workplace changes in comparison with other OECD countries.

David Willetts: The DTI Economics Paper number 7, “Competing in the Global Economy—The Innovation Challenge”, found that UK Innovation performance as a whole is around the average of other advanced economies, but that UK businesses as a group appearing to be less creative and less able to introduce workplace changes and, in some areas, the UK lags in the adoption of best business practices.
	The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills does not plan to make an assessment for benchmarking purposes. Since the above paper was published, the evidence base in these areas has strengthened considerably, with regular, consistent and comparable data being published, including an improved and extended Community Innovation Survey (CIS). As such, it is not considered necessary to undertake a specific assessment as regularly updated data on workplace innovation is readily available.

Higher Education

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many students on (a) taught masters' courses, (b) other masters' courses, (c) PhD studies and (d) other doctoral studies received funding for their studies in each of the last three years; for how many he expects to provide funding in each case in each year of the comprehensive spending review period; and if he will make a statement.

David Willetts: The most recent Higher Education Statistics Agency data (HESA) relates to 2009/10. Data on Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) fundable students for the latest three available years and split by the following categories 'PhD/Doctorate', Taught Masters' and 'Other Masters' is provided in the following table. We are not able to provide the figures broken down into the exact categories asked for. The figures relate to HEFCE fundable students only, on all years of study. Additional places will be funded by other Government Departments, charities and research bodies.
	
		
			 HEFCE fundable 
			 Headcount 
			  2007 2008 2009 
			 PhD/Doctorate 43,000 43,000 46,000 
			 Taught Masters 163,000 154,000 170,000 
			 Other Masters 9,000 9,000 10,000 
			 Source: 2007/08, 2008/09 and 2009/10 HESA student data 
		
	
	We do not have estimates of the likely number of students on these courses over the spending review period. HEFCE fundable places are expected to remain broadly constant over the spending review period.
	We have accepted the recommendations of Professor Sir Adrian Smith's review of postgraduate education. In our White Paper Higher Education: Students at the Heart of the system (Cm 8122) we have asked HEFCE to review the impact of undergraduate funding changes on post graduate participation to help inform thinking on the longer term future of postgraduate funding.

Students: Public Expenditure

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many (a) funded, (b) off-quota and (c) private student places for (i) full-time students and (ii) part-time students there were in each of the last three years; how many such places he expects there to be in each year of the comprehensive spending review period; and if he will make a statement.

David Willetts: The most recent Higher Education Statistics Agency data (HESA) relates to 2009/10. Data on Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) fundable students for the latest three available years is provided in the following table. These figures relate to HEFCE fundable students only, on all years of study. Additional places will be funded by Government Departments, charities and research bodies. The drop in fundable part time students in 2008 is due to the removal of HEFCE funding for students studying for a qualification equal or lower than one they already hold.
	
		
			 HEFCE fundable 2007 2008 2009 
			 Full-time 925,000 942,000 997,000 
			 Part-time (headcount) 584,000 489,000 495,000 
		
	
	Information on the number of students at private HE providers is not collected centrally. HESA collects information on only one private provider (the university of Buckingham), however it recently published the results of a survey of private and for-profit providers of higher education covering the 2009/10 academic year, which can be found at the following website:
	http://www.hesa.ac.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2086&ltemid=310
	Data relating to closed (off quota) courses is shown in the following table. In addition to students attending closed courses, all non-EU students are outside student number controls.
	
		
			 Closed courses 2007 2008 2009 
			 Full-time 1,745 1,816 1,612 
			 Part-time (head count) 5,412 4,094 4,369 
			 Source: 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-10 HESA student data 
		
	
	We do not have estimates of the likely number of students on private and off-quota courses over the spending review period. HEFCE fundable places are expected to remain broadly constant over the spending review period.

Further Education: Admissions

Pat Glass: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will estimate the potential effect on rates of participation in post-16 education of the abolition of education maintenance allowance and the reduction in the number of local authorities which subsidise transport for 16 to 19 year olds.

Nick Gibb: The £180 million 16-19 bursary funding introduced from September 2011 will enable schools, colleges and training providers to support students facing the greatest financial barriers to participation. In contrast to current discretionary learner support funds, the 16-19 bursary fund will have the flexibility to help meet transport costs for individual students, where those costs have been identified as a real barrier to that student's participation.
	This sits alongside the duty on local authorities to publish a statement each year that sets out the travel arrangements they consider necessary to enable young people of sixth form age to attend post-16 education. Decisions regarding the extent of such arrangements, including the provision of any financial assistance, are for local authorities to make following appropriate consultation.
	Taken together, these arrangements allow schools, colleges and local authorities to target support in ways that best meet the individual needs and circumstances of young people, and to ensure that young people are not prevented from participating in post-16 education or training because of their financial circumstances.

Young Offenders: Health Professions

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what requirements there are for medical staff to be present at (a) young offenders institutions, (b) secure training centres and (c) secure children's homes.

Crispin Blunt: The information requested is as follows:
	(a) Commissioning responsibility for health services provided in the publicly run young offender institutions (YOIs) rests with NHS primary care trusts (PCTs). These services are subject to the same standards, regulation and governance as are applied in the wider NHS. Each PCT should decide which health care treatments and services to provide for its local population based on a full needs assessment, and commission these from NHS or independent sector providers. PCTs also decide on spending levels for specific health care treatments and services provided in all primary care settings, including staffing levels. The Department of Health (DH) does not ring-fence PCT money, and is not prescriptive about how individual PCTs spend their budgets.
	In both the publicly run YOIs and in private YOIs, all young people are screened within 24 hours of arrival for any immediate needs including health care needs. Health services in all YOIs must comply with Prison Service Orders/Prison Service Instructions and any relevant DH and NHS guidelines.
	24 hour health care is provided at private YOIs. Health services must also be of an equivalent standard to those available in the community. There are full-time medical staff on site to provide regular assessment and health care and in addition there are visiting doctors, dentists and specialists. Any young person involved in an incident or a restraint will be seen immediately by a nurse.
	Young people will also be taken outside to local NHS services where required for emergency or specialist treatment.
	(b) Medical and nursing care is available every day on a 24-hour basis within Secure Training Centres (STCs). Contractual provisions require that a qualified nurse must be on site at each STC during the day and early evening and on call at all other times; and that a young person who requests to see a health care worker will be seen by a qualified nurse or medical practitioner within 30 minutes of making his/her request. Any young person involved in an accident or emergency will receive immediate medical attention. Young people are also entitled to a basic monthly medical examination and/or health assessment by health care staff at the STC and have access to NHS facilities and specialists when clinically required.
	(c) Secure Children's Homes (SCH) are regulated by The Children's Homes Regulations 2001 which are made under the Care Standards Act 2000. Under Regulation 20, each child must be registered with a GP, have access to health services that s/he may require and be provided with the necessary support for their health needs. Additionally, at least one person on duty in the SCH must have a suitable first aid qualification and any appointed nurse must be registered. The National Minimum Standards (NMS) for Children's Homes are issued under section 23 of the Care Standards Act 2000. These standards are to enable individual providers to develop their own particular ethos and approach to practice. For example, standard 6 of the NMS state that all children's homes (which include SCHs) must promote good health and wellbeing of young people.
	It has been agreed by the Department of Health and Ministry of Justice that commissioning responsibility for health services in STCs and SCHs with youth justice commissioned beds, will transfer to the NHS. The Ministry of Justice is also working closely with the Department of Health to ensure that the changes to the NHS proposed in the Health and Social Care Bill (regarding the responsibilities of the National Commissioning Board for those in prison and in custody) will further enhance commissioning of health services in the youth secure estate.

Emergency Services: Pay

Chris Williamson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions (a) he, (b) Ministers in his Department and (c) officials in his Department have had with representatives of (i) trade unions and (ii) the Chief Fire Officers Association on pay negotiations in the fire and rescue service.

Danny Alexander: Treasury Ministers and Officials regularly engage with trade unions on overall pay and pension policy. However, pay for the Fire and Rescue Service is negotiated through two National Joint Councils. The NJC for Local Authority Fire and Rescue Services negotiates for UK firefighters and control room staff (up to and including the area manager role) and the NJC for Brigade Managers negotiates for Chief Fire Officers, deputies and assistants.
	The Treasury is not a member of either of these Joint Councils and therefore no Treasury Minister or official has met with either the trade unions or the Chief Fire Officers Association as part of pay negotiations.

EU Economic Policy

John Redwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what account the Government takes in the formulation of economic policy of assessments of such policy made by EU institutions;
	(2)  if he will estimate the number of pages of documentation the UK has submitted under the European Semester initiative in 2011.

Mark Hoban: The Government support the European Semester as an important development in the EU's overall surveillance framework. The treaty sets out (article 121) that member states shall regard their economic policies as a matter of common concern and shall co-ordinate them within the Council. However, under the terms of the UK's protocol to the treaty, the United Kingdom only has to “endeavour to avoid” excessive government deficits; all other member states are obliged to “avoid” them. Moreover, because of our opt-out, sanctions cannot apply to the UK under the excessive deficit procedure.
	It is important to note that any recommendations adopted by the ECOFIN Council and addressed to the UK are non-binding. When making plans for the annual Budget, the Chancellor routinely considers assessments made by international partners, such as the OECD and IMF, as well as representations from businesses and individuals. He will of course similarly consider the final recommendations of the EU's ECOFIN Council.
	In submitting information to Council and the Commission, the Government complied fully with the assurances previously given by the Chancellor and the Prime Minister that the content of the UK's Budget will only be sent after it has been presented to Parliament.
	The UK submitted its Convergence Programme, which is a 201-page document, and its National Reform Programme, which is a 66-page document, to the European Commission in April 2011 in fulfilment of its obligations under the European Semester. The content of both documents was drawn entirely from information already in the public domain, including the 2011 Budget.

Taxation: Environment Protection

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will assess the findings of the report of the Institute for Public Policy Research on the carbon price floor in the UK.

Justine Greening: The IPPR support the principle of a floor price for carbon across the EU. However, their underlying assumptions, and subsequent findings do not recognise some of the wider benefits of a UK price floor.
	The impact assessment that accompanied the announcement of the carbon price floor used sophisticated economic modelling of the electricity market. This clearly demonstrated that a UK carbon price floor would unlock additional investment and provide long-term economic, social and environmental benefits for the UK.

Government Procurement Card

John Spellar: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what assessment his Department has made of the benefits to the Government of the use of Government Procurement Cards.

Francis Maude: Government Procurement Cards are a useful tool in helping Government to transact in the purchase of low cost goods and services and are particularly helpful in supporting our use of SMEs. They enable purchasers to streamline ordering processes, for example removing the need to raise a purchase order, and ensure Government meet their prompt payment initiatives.
	Recently I commissioned the Government's chief procurement officer to review the usage of these payment cards and deliver a common policy supported by standardised reporting across central Government. We are now working with each of the card providers to provide a consistent method of reporting government procurement card spend data for transactions above £500 in value, so this is available for publication on/via departmental websites, from the end of September 2011.

Health Services: Disadvantaged

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps (a) HealthWatch, (b) health and wellbeing boards and (c) Public Health England will take to ensure that (i) homeless people and (ii) other excluded and disadvantaged groups are a priority in the NHS.

Simon Burns: The Government have made tackling health inequalities a priority as part of their commitment to fairness and social justice. Subject to the parliamentary process, Local HealthWatch organisations will be the local consumer voice for patients and the public. Local HealthWatch organisations will be inclusive and reflect the views and experiences of its diverse communities. For the local health and wellbeing boards forthcoming guidance on the Joint Strategic Needs Assessments and Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategies, there will be an emphasis on the need to look at the health and care needs of the whole population including vulnerable groups such as rough sleepers.
	In addition, the new Public Health England will have an important role in working with local government, the national health service and other agencies in reducing inequalities—by identifying actions to tackle the wider determinants of health and well-being and by enabling and supporting individuals and communities to improve their own health. The Health and Social Care Bill gives the Secretary of State a clear statutory duty to have regard to the need to reduce health inequalities between the people of England and the new role will place public health at the heart of the wider central Government agenda for the first time.

Mental Health Services

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health by what means service performance reports on psychological therapies have been placed in the public domain to demonstrate the outcomes that services have delivered.

Paul Burstow: The Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme collect from primary care trusts information on the number of people who are moving to recovery as a proportion of those who have completed a course of psychological treatment.
	A copy of the latest data has been placed in the Library and can also be downloaded from the following website:
	https://mqi.ic.nhs.uk/IndicatorDefaultView.aspx?ref=1.07.12

Mental Health Services

Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the availability of psychotherapy in the NHS.

Paul Burstow: No such assessment has been made. It is for the national health service locally to decide how best to meet the needs of its local populations and in doing so they are free to commission a wide range of psychotherapeutic services. In addition, the Department recommends evidence-based, and preferably National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) approved, therapies for the treatment of common mental health problems.
	Following the publication of NICE guidelines for depression in October 2009, the Improving Access to Psychological Therapy programme are now beginning to offer a choice of four new NICE approved therapies for the treatment of moderate to severe depression in addition to Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. They are: Interpersonal Psychotherapy, Counselling for Depression, Dynamic Interpersonal Therapy, and Couples Therapy for Depression.

NHS Direct

Daniel Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average cost was of providing an answer to a call to NHS Direct in each financial year since 1997; and how many calls NHS Direct received in each such year.

Simon Burns: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the following table:
	
		
			 Calls to NHS Direct (0845 4647 only) 
			  Cost per call (£) Number of calls (  thousand  ) 
			 2003-04 23.26 5,244 
			 2004-05 23.13 5,369 
			 2005-06 26.34 5,522 
			 2006-07 25.83 5,018 
			 2007-08 26.10 4,855 
			 2008-09 26.69 5,051 
			 2009-10 25.75 4,920 
			 2010-11 26.24 4,699 
			 Source: Unpublished but validated data. 
		
	
	This information refers solely to calls to NHS Directs 0845 4647 service. Data are not available prior to 2003-04 as NHS Direct was not a national organisation at the time.

NHS: Labour Mobility

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 29 June 2011, Official Report, column 874W, on NHS: labour mobility, how many people have been made redundant by primary care trusts and subsequently re-employed within the NHS(a)directly and(b)on a temporary or contract basis since 1 January 2011.

Simon Burns: Between 1 January 2011 and 31 March 2011, the estimated number of staff re-employed within the national health service on a permanent basis, having previously been made redundant from a primary care trust (PCT), is 30. During the same period, the estimated number of staff re-employed within the NHS on a fixed-term basis, having previously been made redundant from a PCT, is 20.
	Of the 30 re-employed on a permanent basis, 15 were made redundant during January 2010 to December 2010, and 15 were made redundant during January 2011 to March 2011.
	Of the 20 re-employed on a fixed-term basis, 15 were made redundant during January 2010 to December 2010, and five were made redundant during January 2011 to March 2011.
	These figures are based on the latest published redundancy information and are in addition to the 40 made redundant between 1 January 2010 and 31 December 2010 and re-employed during that year on a permanent basis, and the 20 re-employed on a fixed-term basis, given in my answer of 29 June 2011, Official Report, column 874W.
	These estimates are based on data extracted from the Electronic Staff Record Data Warehouse and therefore do not include staff who may have been re-employed by general practices, or Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust or Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.

Pharmacy: Smoking

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to his Department's White Paper, Healthy Lives, Healthy People, what steps his Department has taken to strengthen its partnership working with pharmacies to promote effective smoking cessation routes.

Anne Milton: Stop smoking services are the most common locally commissioned service under the community pharmacy contractual framework. For example, in 2009-10, 5,612 stop smoking services were provided locally by community pharmacies. Recent initiatives to improve the impact of pharmacies in their smoking cessation activities include:
	The Department worked closely with pharmacy partners across England between January and March 2011 to pilot a new approach to distributing the NHS Quit Kit—a box of practical tools and support that have been developed to help smokers quit for good.
	Through the Department and the Cabinet Office Behaviour Change Unit, the Government are collaborating with Boots to pilot and assess the use of behavioural insights alongside improvement to the quality and length of services provided within the NHS-commissioned stop smoking service provided by Boots.
	The results will help inform how publicly-commissioned pharmacy local stop smoking services providers can best develop their service offer to help smokers to quit in the future.
	In early 2009, the Department commissioned Portsmouth Primary Care Trust (PCT) to develop an evidence-based commissioning framework based on public health need for healthy living pharmacies (HLPs). By May 2011, seven out of 38 pharmacies in Portsmouth have been awarded HLP status. These pharmacies have to demonstrate consistent, high-quality delivery of a range of services such as stopping smoking, weight management, emergency hormonal contraception, Chlamydia screening, advice on alcohol and reviews of the use of their medicines. Interim results indicate that community pharmacies have delivered a total of 664 smoking quits, which exceeds the PCTs annual target of 480 by 38%.
	The Department has commissioned the provision of an evidence-based training and assessment programme from the NHS Centre for Smoking Cessation and Training that is freely available to pharmacists and their teams, and other health care professionals, and which leads to significant improvements in the support offered to smokers wanting to quit.

Radiotherapy

John Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the levels of support which will be required by commissioners in order to commission radiotherapy services;
	(2)  what steps his Department is taking to support the implementation of intensity-modulated radiation therapy in at least one centre per network by 2012;
	(3)  what proportion of patients receiving radiotherapy for breast cancer were treated using intensity-modulated radiation therapy in the latest period for which figures are available.

Paul Burstow: “The Operating Framework for the NHS in England 2011/12” sets out that, to improve outcomes from radiotherapy treatment for cancer patients, commissioners should develop local plans to ensure that access rates to radiotherapy and the use of advanced radiotherapy techniques, such as Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy (IMRT), are appropriate for their populations. The National Cancer Action Team has been working with providers to support the development of IMRT services and, at this time, 20 of the 28 cancer networks have at least one provider offering IMRT.
	It is not possible to identify IMRT from other forms of radiotherapy treatment within the Hospital Episode Statistics available to the Department. The Department is working with the national health service to implement a national radiotherapy dataset, and the dataset project team is working with providers to improve collection of data on IMRT.
	Release of the radiotherapy dataset is governed by the Radiotherapy Clinical Information Group (RCIG). RCIG has decided to produce a report on the dataset collection for 2009-10, which is due for publication shortly. RCIG also planning to release the full dataset via the cancer commissioning toolkit (CCT) by the end of the year. The CCT gives commissioners access to high quality data about cancer services across the treatment pathway, allows providers and commissioners to benchmark their performance against one another and supports commissioners to deliver cancer services for local populations.
	To support the commissioning of radiotherapy services in the reformed NHS, we will shortly be publishing a transitional update to the Cancer Commissioning Guidance, first published in January 2009. This best practice document sets out key issues and questions that commissioners and cancer network teams will wish to take into consideration when assessing local health needs and when reviewing cancer services. The guidance is intended to complement the CCT.

Skin Cancer

Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence to review its guidance, Skin cancer: prevention using public information, sun protection resources and changes to the environment; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Burstow: In an earlier answer given by the Under-Secretary of State for Health, my hon. Friend the Member for Guildford (Anne Milton), on 4 March 2011, Official Report, column 673W, we stated that the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) issued the public health guidance “Skin cancer: prevention using public information, sun protection resources and changes to the environment” on 26 January 2010, when the guidance was in fact published on 26 January 2011.
	NICE will review whether this guidance should be updated three years after publication, but will consider the need for an earlier review in the light of any new evidence submitted to it.

Smoking: Health Services

Gavin Barwell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many people attended NHS Stop Smoking services in the last year for which figures are available; and how many such people set a quit date;
	(2)  how many people who attended NHS Stop Smoking services who (a) set and (b) did not set a quit date successfully stopped smoking after (i) four weeks, (ii) three months, (iii) six months and (iv) 12 months in the latest year for which figures are available.

Anne Milton: Information for NHS Stop Smoking Services is not available in the format requested, because we do not collect data on the number of people who do not set a quit date. However, information is available on the number of people setting a quit date and the number of people who had successfully quit at the four week follow up. This information can be found in Table 2.1 in “Statistics on NHS Stop Smoking Services: England, April 2009 to March 2010”, which is available at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/sss0910
	This publication has already been placed in the Library.
	Furthermore, information on the number of people who successfully quit at three months, six months and 12 months is also not collected.

Beyond Visual Air-to-Air Missile Programme

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what recent progress his Department has made on the Beyond Visual Air-to-Air Missile programme; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what recent estimate he has made of the total cost of the Beyond Visual Air-to-Air Missile programme;
	(3)  what estimate he has made of how many missiles will be supplied to the armed forces under the Beyond Visual Air-to-Air Missile programme.

Peter Luff: The six nation Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile (BVRAAM) programme is currently in the final stages of its demonstration phase. Missile deliveries are on schedule to begin as planned in 2012. Integration onto Typhoon forms part of the programme, with an anticipated initial operating capability in 2015.
	As stated in the major projects report 2010, the estimated total cost of the UK share of the assessment, demonstration and manufacture phases of the BVRAAM programme is £1,325 million.
	Information relating to future in-service BVRAAM stock levels is being withheld for the purpose of safeguarding national security and because its disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the armed forces.

Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what recent progress his Department has made on the Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft programme; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what recent estimate he has made of the total cost to the public purse of the Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft programme;
	(3)  what estimate he has made of how many planes will be supplied to the armed forces under the Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft programme.

Peter Luff: The Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft programme is making good progress and remains within its approved performance, cost and time boundaries. The first two aircraft, Airbus A330-200, converted to military specification are currently undergoing flight testing. At RAF Brize Norton, Air Tanker Ltd has built a hangar and operations centre, maintenance and training facilities. These have been completed ahead of schedule in readiness for introduction to service later in 2011.
	The current forecast whole life cost is £12 billion; this includes the private finance initiative (PFI) contract cost and the Ministry of Defence (MOD) costs, such as fuel and RAF manpower that fall outside the PFI contract. The flexibility within the contract allows the MOD to optimise value for money by exploiting the aircraft to the utmost. We are also investigating options with internal partners on how best to utilise any spare capacity.
	Under the PFI contract 14 aircraft will be available to the MOD by September 2016. These will be made available incrementally with the first aircraft being introduced into service in late 2011. The air-to-air refuelling capability will be available with the first aircraft in 2011 and is on schedule to meet the approved in-service date for air-to-air refuelling of 2014 with the delivery of the ninth aircraft. The final five aircraft will be delivered up to September 2016.

Libya: Public Expenditure

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 16 May 2011, Official Report, column 79W, on Libya: public expenditure and the oral answer to the hon. Member for Chichester from the Chancellor of the Exchequer of 22 March 2011, Official Report, column 850, on what date his Department amended its initial estimate of the cost of the UK contribution to coalition operations in support of UN Security Council Resolution 1973 to (a) the figure given in the answer of 16 May 2011 and (b) the figure given on 23 June 2011, Official Report, column 44WS; and what the reason was for the change in each such estimate.

Liam Fox: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has been progressively refining its estimates in the light of the changing operational environment. As was made clear in the answers given by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne), on 22 March 2011, Official Report, column 850, and the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, my right hon. Friend the Member for Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey (Danny Alexander), on 16 May 2011, Official Report, column 79W, it was too early at that time to provide a robust estimate of the costs of the operations in Libya. The statement I made on 23 June 2011,
	Official Report
	, column 24WS, provided an estimate for a six-month period. Costs will continue to be accounted for and reported to Parliament in MOD accounts.

Agriculture: Research

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with reference to the communiqué of the recent G20 Agriculture Ministers meeting in Paris, what steps she plans to take to strengthen agricultural research and innovation.

James Paice: The Government invest about £400 million per annum on agriculture and food research, including up to £90 million over five years through the TSB Sustainable Agriculture Food Platform, which provides a key mechanism for driving innovation by providing co-funding for industry-led innovation in agriculture and technology transfer.
	Government funders, industry and third sector are working together through the Government Chief Scientist Partnership and the Global Food Security Programme to ensure that multi-disciplinary research being funded is robust, relevant and value-for-money.
	To strengthen agricultural research and innovation, the Government are actively building links and joint initiatives, for example through membership of the EU Joint Programming Initiative which aims to maximise member state benefit from R&D funding, and the Global Research Alliance which aims to find ways of reducing greenhouse gases through international collaboration.
	The Government will continue to develop and build on these partnerships, for example by contributing to the coordination of the International Research Initiative for Wheat announced at the G20 meeting in Paris.

Homelessness

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans he has for local accountability mechanisms to monitor the effects of community empowerment on the provision of services to (a) homeless people and (b) other vulnerable groups.

Grant Shapps: Through the Localism Bill we are introducing major reforms to public services and providing new rights for communities, promoting transparency and strengthening local democracy and this means that local democratic processes will become even more important and councillors all the more essential as we push power to the most local level possible.
	A local authority's statutory homelessness duties remain and there is no means by which this might be weakened. Local housing authorities will still be required to secure suitable accommodation for households who are eligible for assistance, homeless through no fault of their own and in 'priority need'.
	We know that sometimes people may need support and that some areas will require more help than others. That is why we are putting measures in place to remove the institutional barriers to taking collective action such as supporting participatory budgeting which can help improve understanding of the complexities of public budgets and democratic structures, and it can specifically address the needs of vulnerable groups.

Homelessness: Finance

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what information he holds on the level of expenditure by each local authority to support people sleeping rough in each of the last five years.

Grant Shapps: The following table shows Department for Communities and Local Government homelessness grant funding for the years requested.
	
		
			 Homelessness grant funding 2006-07 to 2010-11 
			  L  A  s (£ million) Voluntary organisations (£ million) Total 
			 2006-07 49.5 18 67.5 
			 2007-08 51 19.5 70.5 
		
	
	
		
			 2008-09 59.5 17.1 76.5 
			 2009-10 59.51 18.4 77.9 
			 2010-11 74.11 18.7 92.8 
		
	
	In addition the Department currently collects retrospective year-end spend data from top-tier local authorities via the Supporting People Local Systems data set. This includes 'spend' broken down by Supporting People primary client groups including 'rough sleepers'. Supporting People provides housing related support services to vulnerable people including rough sleepers.
	
		
			 Total spend by Supporting People top-tier authority per primary client group 
			  Rough sleeper   (£) 
			 2005-06 16,259,386 
			 2006-07 17,485,753 
			 2007-08 18,776,088 
			 2008-09 18,916,951 
			 2009-10 19,661,062 
			 Source: Supporting People Local Systems data 
		
	
	Spend data to cover financial year 2010-11 are not available yet.
	This Government takes homelessness very seriously that is why we are maintaining investment in homelessness grant at £100 million a year for each of the next four years to support local authorities and the voluntary sector in their work to tackle homelessness.

Industrial Health and Safety

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he has estimated the cost to local authorities of implementing the recommendations of the Common Sense, Common Safety report in respect of (a) conducting an internal review of each refusal to allow an event to take place and (b) the payment of damages by the Local Government Ombudsman where an event was found to have been incorrectly banned on the grounds of health and safety.

Bob Neill: The Government have committed to implement the recommendations in the report “Common Sense, Common Safety” in relation to the banning of events by councils on the grounds of health and safety. We are working with the hon. Member for Christchurch (Mr Chope) to implement these recommendations through his Local Government Ombudsman (Amendment) Private Members' Bill. An impact assessment relating to the content of the amended Bill will be published in due course.

Local Development Frameworks

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what authority local authorities have to develop their own local development frameworks; by what mechanism he proposes that disputes between local authorities are to be decided; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Neill: The Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 allows local councils to prepare planning documents which, taken as a whole, set out the policies relating to the development and use of land in their area.
	The Localism Bill places a duty on local councils to cooperate with each other in planning for sustainable development. The Bill will amend the 2004 Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act so that councils will not be allowed to adopt statutory development plans where they have not satisfied an independent planning inspector that they have complied with this duty to co-operate.

Local Government

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether local authorities are required to work with neighbouring authorities in developing joint core strategies; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Neill: Councils should set out policies relating to the development and use of land in their area. They have the ability to plan with neighbouring authorities if they wish. The mechanism to produce, joint statutory development plans is set out in existing legislation.
	The Government are bringing forward proposals in the Localism Bill to ensure local councils work together in planning for sustainable development. Councils will be required to consider whether to prepare joint planning documents on matters that cross local planning authority boundaries.

Waste Disposal

Caroline Nokes: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what research he has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on any relationship between rates of recycling and the frequency of bin collections.

Bob Neill: We believe the public have a reasonable expectation that their household waste collections should be weekly, particularly for smelly waste. My Department does not hold centrally the frequency data requested, however, we will be working with the Waste and Resources Action Programme to monitor levels of service, and my Department is examining how we can increase the frequency and cost-efficiency of waste collections.
	We want to make it easier to recycle, including encouraging incentive schemes like Recyclebank, and to tackle measures which encouraged councils to cut the scope of collections. That is why we have already ditched the last Government's policy of imposing fortnightly collections.

Departmental Official Cars

Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the cost to his Department was of the provision of ministerial cars in each financial year between its inception and 2010-11; how many (a) cars for the exclusive use of Ministers and (b) ministerial car journeys were paid for by his Department in each such year; what the average cost to his Department of a ministerial car journey was in each such year; and what steps his Department has taken to reduce the cost of ministerial cars since his appointment.

Gregory Barker: DECC was created on 3 October 2008.
	Information relating to the cost and number of ministerial cars is published in an annual written ministerial statement, details of which can be found within the Libraries of both Houses. Links to the details are shown as follows.
	2008/09:
	http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200809/cmhansrd/cm090716/wmstext/90716m0009.htm
	2009/10:
	http://www2.dft.gov.uk/press/speechesstatements/statements/hammond20101028a.html
	Details of the costs for 2010-11 are currently being complied and are due for release later this month.
	DECC cancelled its contract with the Government Car Service with effect from 2 September 2010 and no cars or drivers are allocated to its Ministers.
	Information relating to individual Ministerial car journeys prior to September 2010 is not available as there was no requirement to collect these data. Information relating to the number of ministerial car journeys made since the introduction of the ‘on demand’ ministerial car service on 6 September until 31 March is detailed in the following table:
	
		
			  Number of journeys 
			 2010  
			 September 30 
			 October 23 
			 November 37 
			 December 23 
			 2011  
			 January 46 
			 February 43 
			 March 57 
			   
			 Total 259

Energy

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what financial penalties will be imposed on energy supply companies who do not meet their obligations under the Community Energy Support programme.

Gregory Barker: Ofgem, as the administrator of the Community Energy Saving Programme (CESP), is able to enforce what is termed a “relevant requirement” by imposing a penalty of up to 10% of an offending energy company's global turnover. Any enforcement action can be expected to be proportionate to the contravention of the relevant requirement.

Radiation

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change who the members are of the technical coordination group created to consider how the results of national radiation monitoring are to be collated and communicated to the public; and what relevant experience and expertise each such member has.

Charles Hendry: The technical co-ordination group's role is to look at how information collected by the national radiation monitoring network and nuclear emergency response system (RIMNET) and other radiation monitoring capabilities can best be made accessible to the public.
	The group is made up of representatives from a number of Departments and agencies each with a role in radiation monitoring. Core member-organisations are the Department of Energy and Climate Change, Environment Agency, Met Office, RIMNET, GO Science, Food Standards Agency, Health Protection Agency, The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA). Other organisations, such as the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS), may be invited to attend meetings on an ad hoc basis as appropriate. Relevant individuals will be drawn from these organisations to participate in the group's meetings based on their expertise and the agenda for discussion. Thus, the group's membership varies depending on the specific issues subject to its consideration at any given time.

Social Rented Housing: Energy

Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what discussions he has had with local authorities on steps to improve the energy efficiency of local authority-owned housing stock.

Gregory Barker: I am actively engaging local authorities on this issue, including how the sector can get involved with the forthcoming Green Deal, our new programme to improve the energy efficiency of the housing stock.
	For example, in addition to the Big Society event I hosted last month, this month I am holding a breakfast for social housing providers, including local authorities.

Developing Countries: Tuberculosis

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department has taken to help reduce stigma and discrimination in respect of tuberculosis in developing countries.

Stephen O'Brien: It is crucial that we work with others to address stigma, discrimination and the exclusion of key populations. These are barriers which hamper people from accessing life saving prevention and treatment. The coalition Government work to address these barriers through our bilateral and multilateral support to combat tuberculosis (TB). For example, in advance of its 11th funding round, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM), which is the largest single provider of international funds to fight TB, issued guidance on taking a rights based approach to the design of TB programmes. It also recommends that countries specifically consider activities and programmes to reduce stigma and discrimination in their TB proposals.

Developing Countries: Tuberculosis

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department has taken to encourage industrial development of (a) diagnostics, (b) drugs and (c) vaccines for tuberculosis; and what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of these steps.

Stephen O'Brien: The Department for International Development (DFID) is supporting a number of product development partnerships to encourage industrial development of new diagnostics, drugs and vaccines for tuberculosis. This includes support to the Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND); the Global Alliance for TB Drugs; and the Aeras Global TB Vaccine Foundation. These initiatives are making progress. For instance, FIND has helped develop a new diagnostic for rapid detection of TB ('GenXpert'). This may help shorten the time to diagnosis and cut transmission, thus preventing new cases in future. FIND are also working on how they can adapt these tools for use in more peripheral settings.

Developing Countries: Tuberculosis

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department plans to take to promote implementation and delivery of (a) diagnostics, (b) drugs and (c) vaccines for tuberculosis.

Stephen O'Brien: The coalition Government remain committed to supporting global efforts to halve tuberculosis deaths by 2015, as highlighted in ‘UK aid: Changing lives, delivering results’. In support of this objective, and to help to drive progress towards zero HIV infections and deaths by 2015, scaling-up access to tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis, treatment care and support is a strategic priority in the coalition Government's recently launched ‘Towards zero infections: The UK's position paper on HIV in the developing world’.
	We support prevention, diagnosis and treatment of TB through our bilateral and multilateral support. This is done particularly through the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, which is the largest single provider of international funds to fight TB, including TB-HIV, and through supporting co-ordinated action through the Stop TB Partnership. We also invest in research and product development into more effective treatment and vaccines; we support countries to strengthen health systems to deliver quality TB programmes; and we work with our partners to tackle the risk factors for TB, including poverty and malnutrition.

Developing Countries: Tuberculosis

Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans his Department has to help ensure effective implementation and delivery of (a) diagnostics, (b) drugs and (c) vaccines for tuberculosis.

Stephen O'Brien: The coalition Government remain committed to supporting global efforts to halve tuberculosis deaths by 2015, as highlighted in “UK aid: Changing lives, delivering results”. In support of this objective, and to help to drive progress towards zero HIV infections and deaths by 2015, scaling-up access to tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis, treatment care and support is a strategic priority in the coalition Government's recently launched “Towards zero infections: The UK's position paper on HIV in the developing world”.
	We support prevention, diagnosis and treatment of TB through our bilateral and multilateral support. This is done particularly through the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, which is the largest single provider of international funds to fight TB, including TB-HIV, and through supporting coordinated action through the Stop TB Partnership. We also invest in research and product development into more effective treatment and vaccines; we support countries to strengthen health systems to deliver quality TB programmes; and we work with our partners to tackle the risk factors for TB, including poverty and malnutrition.

Horn of Africa: Food

Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether his Department is taking steps to increase food security in the Horn of Africa.

Andrew Mitchell: The Department for International Development (DFID) is making long-term investments in safety net, disaster risk reduction and wealth creation programmes that aim to increase food security in the Horn of Africa.
	In Ethiopia we are supporting 7.8 million people with cash and food aid transfers through the National Safety Net Programme which provides cash or food in return for work. We are also supporting a programme to create 60,000 new jobs that are not dependent on rain fed agriculture.
	In Kenya DFID is funding a hunger safety net programme which makes regular cash payments to 60,000 of the poorest households. Monitoring suggests that those receiving these payments are significantly more resilient to the current drought than others living in these regions.
	In Somalia, my Department is currently supporting pastoralists and farmers to strengthen their resilience through emergency livelihood protection activities. We are also supporting a four-year wealth creation programme which aims to improve economic and employment prospects for women and young people in Somalia. It aims to create 45,000 long-term jobs by 2015.

Sierra Leone: Health Services

Anas Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what outcomes he expects from his Department's support for health sector salaries in Sierra Leone.

Stephen O'Brien: The UK is supporting the delivery of the Free Health Care Initiative for pregnant and nursing women and children under five years old which was launched by the President of Sierra Leone in April 2010. The purpose of the UK's support is to reduce maternal and child mortality in Sierra Leone which is among the worst in the world.
	The support to health workers salaries has both retained and increased the number of health personnel in the public health sector which is better able to manage the increase in demand for services as a result of the Free Health Care Initiative. The aim of the Initiative is to provide free health services for up to 460.000 women and 1 million children each year. After its first year of operation there has been solid progress with 1,993,000 additional under five consultations of which 1,160,000 were treated for malaria; 39,100 more women delivered their babies in a health facility; and 12,000 maternity complications were managed in health facilities with a 60% drop in the fatality rate in these cases.

Sierra Leone: Health Services

Anas Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department plans to take to ensure that health workers are deployed to the parts of Sierra Leone in greatest need.

Stephen O'Brien: The UK is supporting the delivery of the Free Health Care Initiative for pregnant and nursing women and children under five years old which was launched by the President of Sierra Leone in April 2010. The purpose of the UK' support is to reduce maternal and child mortality in Sierra Leone which is among the worst in the world.
	As a result of the UK's support over 2,000 additional health workers were recruited in 2010 to help meet the increased demand for services across the country including those areas in greatest need. To date we have provided technical expertise to work closely with the Human Resources Department of the Ministry of Health to develop a robust national human resources policy and strategy to address the challenges of coverage and spread in the medium to long term. In the short term the World Bank has this year introduced a programme to incentivise personnel working in the rural areas of the country, We are collaborating closely with the World Bank on this programme to ensure health workers in the rural areas remain in post.

Sierra Leone: Health Services

Anas Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many additional doctors, nurses, midwives and other health workers he expects (a) to be required and (b) his Department to fund in Sierra Leone in order to reach the targets on maternal mortality and assisted births set out in his Department's operational plan for that country.

Andrew Mitchell: The UK is supporting the delivery of the Free Health Care Initiative for pregnant and nursing women and children under five years old which was launched by the President of Sierra Leone in April 2010. The purpose of the UK' support is to reduce maternal and child mortality in Sierra Leone which is among the worst in the world.
	The UK has provided the Human Resources Department of the Ministry of Health with specialised technical support so that it can carry out an in-depth analysis of the staffing they currently have, what staffing they should have as a minimum in light of the size of population, and how they intend filling the staffing gap. This will then result in a clear strategy by the end of this year which maps out the numbers and mix of skills they need in the medium to long term, how they intend putting these in place and what resources are available to enable them to implement the strategy. The UK will work closely with the Ministry of Health and non-governmental partners to ensure UK resources are targeted at the priority skills needed to address maternal health and assisted births.

Somalia: Droughts

Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans his Department has to respond to the drought in Somalia.

Andrew Mitchell: My Department is already supporting ongoing activities in Somalia that are reaching more than 1.3 million vulnerable people this year with emergency relief assistance This includes treatment of starving children, access to health care, essential vaccinations, water, sanitation, food assistance, shelter and activities to protect the livelihoods of pastoralists and farmers.
	My officials are identifying priority activities and partners who are best placed to respond rapidly to the deteriorating situation. My Department is working with other donors to support humanitarian agencies increase their current emergency response.